Method of cleaning and hulling grain



UNITED STATES Err en.

PATENT LOUIS GATHMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,436, dated December6, 1881. Application filed April 11, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS GATHMANN, ofChicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Methods of Cleaning and Hulling Grain; and I do herebydeclare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

This invention relates to processes in reducing wheat or other creasedor lobated grain.

It is now common in the reduction of wheat to first clean or scour theunbroken grain, then to split it to release the germ and foreignsubstances lodged in the crease, then to bolt, and thereafter to reduceit by operations not here necessary to mention. While the splitting ofthe grain successfully exposes the germ and crease impurities, and tosome extent detaches them from the berry, the latter effect upon theimpurities is not always perfectly produced in the act of splitting. Ofcourse nothing is accomplished in such operation toward the removal ofthe bull or any portion thereof that was originally embraced within thecrease.

The object of my invention is to employ a method whereby the hull or anyportion thereof, as desired, may be more equally removed over the entiresurface of said hull, including that originally extending into thecrease; and also whereby, if-no more is required, the impurities onlyupon the surface originally confined within the crease may be moreperfectly detached preparatory to further reduction.

To this end my invention consists, broadly, in brushing or scouring thegrain after it is split, for the purpose eitherof removing thesuperficial impurities exposed by splitting or removing the bull to aless or greater extent, as may be desired, over the entire surfacethereof as it is exposed after splitting. If the grain is properlysplit, the fracture will be through the crease, and the portions of thebran surface originally hidden within the crease will be fully andequally with other portions exposed upon the fragments; also, ifproperly split, the fracture through the crease will expose but arelatively small surface of the food substance, and but little of suchsurface will be loosened in the act of splitting, so as to be readilydetached. 1 have found that grain so split may be scoured sufficientlyto remove the bull, or less severely to remove a portion of the bull, orstill less to remove only the superficial impurities without detachingany considerable portion of thefood substance. It is, of course, obviousthat such scouring will take effect in a practical sense equally uponall portions of the bran-surface, and that, therefore, by this methodthe parts of such surface originally protected or hidden in the creasewill be cleaned or removed equally with the rest.

Inordinarymillingitwillbeadvisabletoclean the wheat before splitting it,and my method will in such milling he usually employed, mainly, for thepurpose of simply cleaning the surfaces not exposed on the whole orunbroken wheat. This, however, is immaterial to my invention. I do notlimit myself by reference to any steps that may precede splitting, orthat may follow the cleaning or hulling of the halfkernels or fragmentsproduced by splitting, butonly to the brushing, scouring, or equivalentoperation as a step succeeding the splitting of the grain and precedingfurther reduction; nor isit material to myinvention whether the grain isbolted after splitting and before scouring, as will sometimes beadvisable, such bolting or separation not being understood as a partofthe reduction of the grain; nor do I limit myself to any particular modeor means for acting upon the split grain for the removal of the hull orof a portion thereof, or of the superficial impurities. I, however,prefer to use a brush grain-cleaner, particularly for the lighteractions desired, and to accompany the brushing with an air-draft toimmediately separate the parts detached.

I am aware that it has been customary to split the lobated grain throughthe crease, and thereafter to submit the split kernels to anairblastortoaboltingaction. Thisobviouslyisnot the equivalent of themethod herein claimed, which involves the subjection of the split grainto a positive scouring action, since such mere bolting or blowing isonly adapted to take out particles or impurities already detached fromthe grain, and not to detach them or to in any degree decorticate thegrain.

The splitting of the grain may be effected by any of the well-known andapproved machines for the purpose, but preferably by the smooth-surfacedcorrugated disks or rollers In testimony that I claim the foregoing asnow extensively used in splitting and reducing my invention I affix mysignature in presence grain. of two Witnesses.

I claim as my invention--- 5 In the reduction of creased or lobatedgrain, LOUIS GATHMANN. the method described, which consists in splittingthe grain through the crease and there- Witnesses: after subjecting thefragments or half-kernels M. E. DAYTON, to a brushing or scouring actionpreparatory to. F. WV. KASEHAGEN.

0 further reduction, substantially as described.

